


The Princess and The Dragon Slayer

by Cannot_Think_Of_A_Name



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Dan Straight is Daniel Fiore, Fairy Tale Elements, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Inappropriate Humor, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:02:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29645481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cannot_Think_Of_A_Name/pseuds/Cannot_Think_Of_A_Name
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia runs away from her life as an heiress on the eve of her engagement. She meets Natsu Dragneel, and the two go on an adventure. They discover family secrets, political corruption, and an ancient legend about the dragons.I still hate the title, and every other option I think of is worse.
Relationships: Acnologia/Anna Heartfilia, Evergreen/Elfman Strauss, Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser, Jellal Fernandes/Erza Scarlet, Laxus Dreyar & Lucy Heartfilia, Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine, Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia, Zeref Dragneel/Mavis Vermillion
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. Prologue

Once Upon a Time, in a land far away, lies the kingdom of Fiore. With a population of seventeen million, the kingdom hosts an array of different species. Mages, non-mages, spirits, demons and dragons all populated the continent. In the continent of Ishgar, two legends are told across the kingdom of Fiore as lessons to teach others. These legends were, _The Light & Dark One _and _The Princess & The Dragon Slayer. _The first legend tells of a boy who was cursed for defying the gods and falling in love with a girl who was the embodiment of light. The boy's love caused her death and ever since her death. The boy taught himself to never love again. The boy wonders around Fiore aimlessly and forever known as The Dark One. The second legend tells of a man who overused his magic and became a mindless creature of destruction to protect the princess. These legends were told to show that mages shouldn’t abuse magic. These legends were effective because the legends were true. _The Princess & The Dragon Slayer _never identifies the princess, only a handful of people knew her identity. She was a woman named Anna Heartfilia. She was the fiancé to the crown prince of Fiore, and he was a wanderer she nursed back to health. After the affair, the Heartfilia family was shamed into hiding by the royal courts, until the daughter she bared became of age and Anna had died. After an escape with the son of a guild master, the daughter was forced to marry an earl to save her family's reputation. The couple bared a daughter, and they named her, Lucy Heartfilia.


	2. Life of The Heiress

Waking up from her bed as the sun rises from the east, Lady Lucy Heartfilia meets the day with as much optimism as she can. Lady Lucy is born into a life of immense wealth and privilege. Bestowed nine out of twelve golden Celestial Spirit Keys by her late mother, Lady Lucy had the life other Celestial Mages live in their dreams. Feeling all alone in her family estate, the only friends she has in Acalypha drained her magical energy, and she longs for the warmth and comfort of another. But she had to force a smile today. The family was announcing her engagement to Prince Daniel Fiore, the future king of Fiore. The prince fell in love with Lucy the moment he first laid eyes on her. Ever since the days of Anna Heartfilia, the family had tried to marry into the royal family. Lucy understands what this meant to the Heartfila family, and she felt the pressure placed upon her. What she wanted, however, is never a concern to the family. Her screams of not wanting to marry the prince fell on deaf ears. All the servants on the estate were excited that they will be entertaining the royal family. After her bath, Lucy summons Cancer.

“Open! Gate of the Crab, Cancer!” Lucy commands, and the human-crab hybrid appears in her chambers.

“Got any ideas about your look today?” Cancer asks Lucy.

“As long as it looks good in the portrait,” Lucy tells Cancer in a monotone voice, and in an instant, Lucy’s hair was ready for the day. Lucy gave Cancer her thanks and closed his gate. Lucy then summons Virgo to help get into her dress. Lucy made her way to the dining hall for breakfast, waiting for Prince Daniel to come to the estate. One of the servers places Lucy’s plate across from her father, Jude Heartfilia, the Earl of Acalypha. Ever since the death of Lucy’s mother, Layla Heartfilia. Lucy and Jude’s relationship was distant, only seeing one another in the dining hall for a meal.

“The portrait artist will be arriving a few minutes before the prince,” Jude tells his daughter. Lucy didn’t respond.

“The party tonight will be a masquerade ball. Make sure you have your costume for tonight.” Jude tells his daughter.

“I tell Cancer in the afternoon,” Lucy tells her father in a monotone voice.

“When the prince arrives, do a better job at pretending to be happy.” Jude passive aggressively tells his daughter. Jude finishes his plate and exits the dining hall to go to his office. Sitting by herself in the dining hall, Lucy forced herself to hold back her tears. She quickly ran to the library, the one-room where she found solace on the estate.

“Are you okay, princess?” Lucy heard the voice of Leo as he appeared in front of her.

“I don’t know how much longer I can go, Loke,” Lucy tells her spirit, failing to hold back the tears. The zodiac leader tries to comfort his key holder.

“We can leave right now and never look back,” Loke reminds her of the offer he has made before. He had offered Lucy the opportunity to join him and the other spirits in the Celestial Spirit World.

“Thanks for the offer, Loke,” Lucy tells him with sorrow. Loke knew what Lucy was about to say next.

“But it will never work between us,” the two of them said in unison.

“You deserve someone you can be together with forever,” Lucy tells him. The spirits were immortal, and Lucy didn’t want Loke to go through the grief of losing her.

“Miss Lucy! Miss Lucy!” They can hear one of the maids calling out from the hall. Loke goes back to the Celestial Spirit World, and Cancer comes out to fix Lucy’s make-up. Lucy walks out of the library and sees the maid. The maid informs the heiress that the prince will be arriving any minute. The grand carriage pulls up onto the estate, parking in front of the doors to the estate. Prince Daniel Fiore exits the carriage with his retainers, Gajeel Redfox and Juvia Lockser.

“Oh, thank fuck!” Gajeel excitedly shouts to the sky when he is out of the carriage.

“Juvia worries about the townspeople who have to clean the trail of vomit,” Juvia says when she exits the carriage. Lady Lucy was waiting for the prince in the estate sitting room, watching the artist get everything ready for the portrait.

“Lulu! I’m here!” Prince Daniel excitedly shouts from the doorway. Lady Lucy rises from her chair and bows her head to the prince.

“Was the ride to Acalypha good to you, milord?” Lucy asks her fiancé. Prince Daniel excitedly hugs his fiancé when he sees her.

“I’ve missed you, my dear Lulu!” Prince Daniel says to Lady Lucy. Gajeel and Juvia walk-in during this moment.

“I’ve blown enough chunks already today!” Gajeel says to interrupt the royal couple. Juvia lightly chuckles.

“Juvia thinks it sweet how affectionate his majesty is to her!” Juvia says. Lucy summons Capricorn to bring tea for everyone.

“Gajeel! Juvia!” Lucy happily shouts when she ran over to hug them. The retainers hugged her back. The only joy about the prince’s visit was seeing Gajeel and Juvia. She was happier to see them than she was to see her fiancé. Capricorn brings a tray of tea for the royal couple, the retainers, the painter and the crew.

“Thanks, Capricorn,” Lucy tells her spirit before she closes the gate. The portrait only took a few hours to paint, and Lucy goes to the gardens for a stroll with Gajeel and Juvia. Prince Daniel was in Jude’s office, discussing the masquerade ball and engagement announcement. Gajeel and Juvia could tell that Lucy didn’t want to marry the prince.

“Do you know what you’ll be wearing this evening?” Juvia asks Lucy.

“I do,” Lucy timidly answers. Gajeel has had enough of Lucy trying to hide her sadness.

“What the hell is the matter?” Gajeel bluntly asks Lucy. She began crying into Juvia’s shoulder. The three of them walk towards the fountain and sit on the bench.

“I can’t do this anymore, the stress, the pressure, I can’t do this anymore. I never agreed to this marriage in the first place.” Lucy cries out loud into Juvia’s shoulder.

“If you don’t marry the prince, do you know what you want to do?” Gajeel politely asks her when he is drying her tears. She nods her head and brings them to her chambers. In her chamber, Lucy shows them the articles she kept about the _Fairy Tail_ guild.

“I want to go on adventures in the great wide elsewhere, just like them.” Lucy excitedly tells Gajeel and Juvia when she shows them the articles. Gajeel and Juvia notice how Lucy's eyes would light up when she was talking about _Fairy Tail_.

“But that’s just a pipe dream,” Lucy felt sad again when reality would set in. She then asks Gajeel and Juvia to give her some privacy. So she can get her masquerade ball look ready. While walking back to the prince, Gajeel and Juvia began talking.

“She’s not going to last long in the palace,” Gajeel says to Juvia.

“Juvia doesn’t understand why the advisors pushed Prince Daniel towards choosing her. Gajeel, we have to do something.” Juvia says to Gajeel. Gajeel agrees with Juvia’s sentiments, but he doesn’t know what to do. Juvia proposes an idea, helping the heiress run away from her life. In the hallway, the two were interrupted by Virgo, one of Lucy’s spirits. The maid hands Gajeel and Juvia a letter written by Lucy. They open the letter, and Virgo returns to the Celestial World.

“She ran away!” Gajeel shouts, and Juvia tries to quiet him. The letter tells Gajeel and Juvia to let The Prince know that the engagement is over.

“I’m sorry, father, I hope you can forgive me one day,” Lucy tells herself when she sees the estate from a distance. Her compass spirit points towards the west as the direction to Magnolia. With her keys in one hand and her luggage in the other, Lucy headed towards _Fairy Tail_.


	3. The Princess Meets The Dragon Slayer

In the Celestial World, Lucy’s spirits are conversing around a roundtable, discussing Lucy running away from home.

“The brat is more like her mother than I thought!” A worried Aquarius shouts.

“If you ask me, we should have done this sooner!” Loke says out loud. Capricorn is not paying attention to the conversation.

“The crown will come hunting for her,” Gemini I says.

“Her father as well,” Gemini II says.

“And if they do come after her, I’ll protect her!” Loke proclaims.

“We will protect her big brother,” Virgo says in rebuttal.

“And besides, nobody can protect that body of her’s better than me!” Taurus proclaims, making Loke groan.

“What was the guild she wanted to join again?” Scorpio asks the group.

“ _Fairy Tail!_ ” Aries timidly answers. Capricorn perks up at the mention of _Fairy Tail_.

“I’ll go asks Crux to research the guild,” Loke says before he left the meeting room.

“She’s going to meet him!” Capricorn tells the group. The tension in the room was palpable.

“Do we break our promise to Lady Layla and tell Lucy before she meets him?” Sagittarius asks the group. While the spirits were conversing, Lucy makes a pit stop in the seaport town, Hargeon. She loved visiting Hageron with her mother when she was a child. She notices a commotion in the town square, the famous “Salamander of Fairy Tail” was in town. While she was walking towards the town square, she notices a pink-haired boy looking sickly with his blue cat. Feeling bad for him, Lucy walks over to them, offering to help them.

“Do you have anything to eat?” The pink-haired boy asks Lucy.

“I know of a diner not far from here. I’ll take you, my treat,” Lucy tells the pink-haired boy. The boy happily accepted Lucy’s offer, and they went to the diner.

“My name is Natsu Dragneel, and my buddy here is Happy,” Natsu tells Lucy on the way to the diner.

“And mine is Lucy Heartfilia, nice to meet you,” Lucy tells them in return. At the diner, Lucy was amazed by how much Natsu can eat.

“This much food is a light snack to him,” Happy tells Lucy. Lucy was shocked that Happy could talk. Natsu thought her reaction to Happy looked funny.

“Never seen an exceed before?” Natsu asks Lucy when his mouth is full.

“No, Natsu, I haven’t,” Lucy sarcastically says to Natsu. Natsu notices Lucy’s luggage.

“Where are you going?” Natsu asks Lucy.

“I’m heading to Magnolia. I’m going to join _Fairy Tail_!” Lucy excitedly tells Natsu.

“Why do you want to join _Fairy Tail_?” Happy asks Lucy.

“I’ve heard the adventures they’ve gone on and the love of family they show one another. I’ve always wanted that in my life,” Lucy tells them.

“I wanted to see The Salamander so I can get a good word in,” Lucy continues to tell them.

“I’m pretty sure The Salamander will like you,” Natsu tells her, giving her his signature grin to make her feel good. They overhear a group of women talking about The Salamander having a yacht party tonight. Natsu was in Hargeon to take down an imposter who goes by the name, The Salamander.

“Hey, Lucy, want to crash that party tonight!” Natsu asks Lucy. Lucy happily accepted, seeing it as an opportunity to meet The Salamander. Later that night, Lucy meets up with Natsu and Happy at the docks. Happy flew them onto the yacht, and they make their way towards the party room. Lucy was appalled to see that the yacht party was a sex slave auction. Natsu bursts into the room, fire magic blazing. Lucy helps the girls escape the yacht, summoning Aries to distract the goons after them. The yacht starts to sail from the docks, and Natsu gets motion sickness. Lucy gets knocked off the yacht and plunges into the ocean.

“Open, gate of the water-bearer, Aquarius!” Lucy calls out to summon Aquarius. Lucy instructs Aquarius to knock the yacht out of the ocean, and Aquarius overdoes the task. The yacht and Lucy crash into the port, but Natsu no longer felt motion sickness.

“Fire Dragon, Roar!” Natsu shouts to perform his magic, aiming the fire at the fake Salamander. Happy notices Lucy laying on the ground and brings her over to Natsu. Lucy asks Aquarius to get rid of the fire, and Aquarius overdoes it. Natsu, Lucy and Happy are all soaking wet. Natsu walks over to the fake Salamander and ties him up.

“Why would The Salamander do that?” Lucy wonders out loud.

“Because he isn’t The Salamander, I am!” Natsu answers Lucy, surprising her.

“Natsu Dragneel, the fire dragon-slaying salamander of _Fairy Tail_!” Natsu continues to say. Aquarius’ gate closes when Natsu mentions he is a dragon slayer. He grabs Lucy’s wrist, and the two of them start running when the authorities show up. Happy is flying above them.

“You said you wanted to join _Fairy Tail,_ right?” Natsu asks Lucy while they were running.

“So we’re going to _Fairy Tail_!” Natsu finishes, making Lucy the happiest she’s been in a long time. Back in the Celestial World, Aquarius process the fact that Lucy became friends with a dragon slayer.

“These Heartfilia’s are going to give me gray hairs,” Aquarius jokes to herself with a smirk on her face.


	4. Crocus

Like his father before him, Daniel Fiore returns to the capital city of Crocus, devastated. Once again, a Heartfilia heiress refused to marry the crown prince of Fiore. The masquerade ball was underway when the prince received the news of Lucy’s departure. Gajeel passes out in the carriage because of his motion sickness. Juvia is sitting beside the prince, consoling him during the ride. The prince has been crying into Juvia’s shoulder since they left Acalypha.

“Why!” Prince Danial cries into Juvia's shoulder.

“Look at it this way, milord, you deserve someone who wants to marry you in return,” Juvia says when she is trying to reassure the prince.

“But I want Lucy!” Prince Daniel whines into Juvia's shoulder. Juvia rolls her eyes at the response.

“We’ve arrived in Crocus,” the coachman announced. Crocus is the largest city in Fiore and the centre of non-magical industry. The ride from the city gates to the palace takes thirty minutes by horse and carriage. The coachman announces that they have arrived at the palace, and Juvia drags Gajeel out of the carriage.

“I’m never going back into that contraption,” Gajeel says when he’s curled up on the ground. The prince limps out of the carriage, refusing to look up as he walks into the palace. He walks into the throne to meet with his father, Toma Fiore. The king is in the company of three of his advisors, Darten, Jose Porla and Mard Geer. The king starts to laugh when the prince kneels in front of his father.

“What’s so funny, your majesty?” Jose asks the king.

“I thought it would have worked this time,” Toma tells his council.

“And we were all rooting for them!” Mard Geer says to the king. Although Darten has been with Toma since the beginning of his reign. He was there when Anna broke Toma’s heart. In recent years, Toma has been gravitating towards Jose and Mard Geer as advisors.

“I think it’s time to end this endeavour with the Heartfilia family, your majesty!” Darten bluntly tells the king. 

“We can discuss this issue in the morning!” The king announces as he rises off the throne. The king begins to yawn and is escorted to his room by Darten. Prince Daniel walks over to Jose and Mard Geer.

“Would it be possible for you two to help me track down Lucy Heartfilia?” Prince Daniel asks the advisors. Jose Porla happily agreed to the prince’s request because Jose advocated the hardest for Daniel and Lucy to get married. The prince excitedly leaves the throne room, and the two advisors sneak off to their chambers. 

“What are you planning?” Mard Geer asks Jose when they are in their chambers.

“You don’t believe I have the prince’s best interests in mind!” Jose jokingly says, making Mard Geer laugh.

“It’s not my fault the crown wants to marry into one of the richest families in Fiore. I’ve always wondered how those riches will look on me.” Jose gave his serious answer.

“And all those extra resources can help with finding E.N.D and The Dark One,” Jose says to entice Mard Geer. E.N.D is considered the strongest demon in creation. Mard Geer’s goal is to control E.N.D and use them to slay The Dark One. Taking The Dark One’s power and become the strongest mage in Fiore. Mard Geer agrees to help Jose and walks into the dungeons. In the dungeons, Mard Geer meets with one of his subordinates, Seilah. Seilah has the power to control demons. Mard Geer orders her to use shadow demons to find Lucy Heartfilia. On the train ride to Magnolia, Natsu is complaining about his motion sickness. Lucy couldn’t help but smile, feeling nostalgic about the stories Juvia would tell her about Gajeel.

“Happy, why does Natsu have motion sickness?” Lucy asks the exceed.

“It’s a dragon slayer thing!” Happy answers. Lucy began to wonder if Gajeel was a dragon slayer. The train stops as they arrive in Magnolia. Natsu is relieved that he no longer feels sick and drags Lucy off the train with him. Natsu, Lucy and Happy make their way to _Fairy Tail_.


	5. Welcome to Fairy Tail

On their way to the guildhall, Natsu and Happy show Lucy the sights and sounds of Magnolia. The attraction that mesmerizes Lucy the most is the Rainbow Cherry Blossom tree in South Gate Park. She has read about the famous Cherry Blossom Festival in _Sorcerer Weekly_ and is excited that she’ll be able to attend the festival. They finally reach the guildhall, and Lucy is anxiously standing in front of the doors.

“It’s going to be fine,” Natsu says to put Lucy’s nerves at ease. He gives her his signature grin and burst the doors to the guildhall open.

“I’m back!” Natsu loudly shouts when he enters the crowded guildhall.

“You don’t have to be so obnoxiously loud flame-brain!” The Ice-Make mage Gray Fullbuster shouts back at Natsu. Gray and Natsu begin fighting all over the guild.

“Shouldn’t we stop them?” A concerned Lucy asks Happy.

“Nah, they’re always like this,” Happy answers.

“Boys!” Erza Scarlet appears over the two fighting boys. The fear of god makes Gray and Natsu stop fighting. The exceed guides Lucy towards Mirajane Strauss, the barmaid and S-Class mage. Mira also deals with the paperwork involving new mages joining the guild. Lucy is starstruck by the _Sorcerer Weekly_ model, flattering Mira. Once Mira finishes the paperwork, she places Lucy’s pink guild mark on the Celestial Mage’s right hand. When Lucy got her guild mark, she found Natsu and Happy at the bar.

“ Hey, Natsu! Mirajane just put the official guild mark on my hand,” Lucy excitedly tells them.

“Nice job Luigi!” Natsu nonchalantly says.

“The name is Lucy!” An annoyed Lucy tells the Fire Dragon Slayer. Natsu excitedly introduces Lucy to the other members of the guild. Mirajane couldn’t help but smile at the pair. Lucy begins to feel hungry and asks Mira for a sandwich. Mira asks her sister and guild chef, Lisanna, to make a sandwich for Lucy. Lisanna hands the turkey sandwich to Mira, and she brings the sandwich to Lucy. Lucy is sitting at a table with Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy Marvell, Levy McGarden, Cana Albarona and Elfman Strauss. Everyone except Natsu begins to ask Lucy questions about herself, and she tells everything she knows. She summons Capricorn to confirm the story about being engaged to the prince.

“You rejected the prince!” A shocked Wendy says.

“Aren’t you worried that he’ll come to bring you back?” Erza asks Lucy.

“I’m more worried about my father than I am about the prince. I don’t think they’ll do anything severe,” Lucy tells the group.

“And if they doing anything severe, we’ll fight back!” Natsu tells the group. Lucy was flattered by Natsu’s words. Gildarts Clive walks down the stairs from the second floor, handing Mira the flier for a job he wants to take. Gildarts walks past the group when he leaving the guildhall.

“Yo Gildarts!” Natsu says to get his attention. Gildarts walks over to the group, curious about the familiar-looking blonde with brown eyes.

“This is Lucy Heartfilia,” Natsu happily introduces Lucy to Gildarts. When Gildarts hears Lucy’s last name, he remembered why she looks familiar.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lucy. I have to go!” Gildarts says to excuse himself from the guildhall.

“Do you have a place to stay at?” Cana asks Lucy. Lucy gets up from her seat.

“I have to find an apartment before nightfall,” Lucy tells everyone.

“I’ll help you,” Natsu tells Lucy before they leave the guildhall with Happy. Once the trio has left the guildhall, the other members started to take bets. On when Natsu and Lucy will get together as a couple. Lucy sees an old woman struggling with her bags while looking for an apartment with Natsu and Happy. The trio offers to help the old woman, and she happily accepts their offer. The old woman guides them to the building she owns while Natsu is carrying her bags.

“Thank you so much, dear children,” The old woman says to them. Lucy notices the room's available sign on the building’s front door.

“Can I have a look at the room?” Lucy asks the old woman.

“Sure!” The old woman agrees to Lucy’s request and shows them the apartment. The apartment is fully furnished, and the rent is agreeable.

“I’ll take the apartment!” Lucy tells the old woman.

“I’ll go and grab the paperwork. My name is Dorothy!” She tells the trio before leaving them by themselves.

“I’m going back to the guildhall to let them know you found a place,” Natsu says to Lucy.

“Thank you, Natsu, for everything,” Lucy says as a token of her appreciation.

“No problem, Luce, and welcome to _Fairy Tail_!” Natsu says before he leaves with Happy. Outside the town of Magnolia, Gildarts uses a communication lacrama to contact guild master Makarov Dreyar. Makarov is at a conference for guild masters in Crocus. Laxus Dreyar accompanies his grandfather with The Thunder Legion. Makarov answers the lacrama in his hotel room.

“How’s it going Gildarts? We should be leaving Crocus soon,” Makarov tells Gildarts through the lacrama.

“Has Mira or anyone else call you today?” Gildarts asks through the lacrama.

“No! What did Natsu do?” A concerned Makarov answers.

“He brought a girl to join the guild,” Gildarts tells him. Makarov loves it when a new mage joins the guild.

“That’s wonderful. Who is the new girl?” Makarov asks Gildarts. Gildarts takes a deep breath before answering.

“Her name is Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia.” Gildarts answers. Makarov didn’t respond because he dropped his lacrama when he heard the last name. Before going back to Magnolia, Makarov knew he had to visit Acalypha.


	6. Layla

In the Celestial World, Capricorn is heavily breathing into a paper bag. Aquarius has told him the news about Lucy’s new friend, Natsu Dragneel.

“A Dragon Slayer!” Capricorn bafflingly shouts to Aquarius. The two of them have been under contract to the Heartfilia’s the longest. The two of them helped Anna give birth to Layla, and they helped Layla give birth to Lucy.

“Are we surprised at this point?” Aquarius jokingly says to Capricorn, not putting the goat spirit’s nerves at ease.

“Aren’t you worried?” Capricorn asks the mermaid.

“I’m always worried, but I have a good feeling about fire boy!” Aquarius answers the goat. Aquarius was the one Anna and Layla went to for relationship advice. The mermaid remembers the day Layla was sent to Crocus for the coming-out to high society ceremony. Layla was sent two weeks before the event, to get herself familiar with the royal palace. The mage guild, _Fairy Tail_ , was hired as security for the ceremony. A man by the name of Ivan Dreyar was assigned to guard and accompany Layla. The brutish man was an enigma to Layla, and she wanted to learn more. While spending the day together, Ivan would fluster the heiress, and she would enjoy the feeling. While walking her back to her room, Ivan kisses Layla, and she invites him to her room for the evening. Layla would wake up in Ivan’s arms the following morning after giving her virginity to him. Ivan snuck out of Layla’s room before palace staff could catch a glimpse of the pair. Two weeks have passed, and it’s the day of the event. Layla was vomiting in a bucket while Aquarius was holding Layla’s hair. Aquarius knew Layla spent the evening with Ivan and began asking questions.

“Did you use protection?” Aquarius asks the Heartfilia. Layla shakes her head. Aquarius reminds herself to scold Layla later.

“Have you gotten your period yet this month?” Aquarius asks the Heartfilia. Layla shakes her head.

“I should have gotten it by now!” Layla concerningly tells the spirit. Aquarius had an idea of what is happening with Layla.

“I’ll be back!” Aquarius says before she closes her gate. Aquarius returns with a pregnancy test for Layla. Layla goes to the bathroom to pee on the stick. One minute later, the test says that Layla is pregnant.

“I have to find Ivan!” Layla says in a panic.

“After the ceremony,” Aquarius says to Layla before she and Capricorn help Layla get ready for the ceremony. The ceremony is about to begin, and Layla still feels nauseous when she is waiting for her turn. Her turn has arrived, and she walks towards the king. Layla can hear the other nobles gossiping about her mother. When Layla is in front of the king, she vomits in front of the entire royal court. Layla leaves the throne room ashamed of herself. After the event, she walks around Crocus looking for Ivan. She finds him in a pub and confronts him. Ivan follows her outside the pub. Layla tells Ivan she is pregnant, and he acts like he doesn’t know her. She is lucky that Ivan’s father, Makarov, overheard the conversation. Makarov approaches the sobbing heiress to comfort her.

“I don’t want to be a mother right now!” A hysterical Layla tells the small man. Makarov offers Layla his help throughout the pregnancy. He accompanies Layla back to Acalypha and explains the situation to Layla’s aunt and uncle. The child will be in Makarov’s care in Magnolia once they are born. Nine months have passed, and Layla gives birth to a baby boy. Laxus is the name they give the child. Makarov says his goodbyes and brings the child to Magnolia. A few years after the birth of Laxus, a railroad tycoon named Jude had agreed to marry Layla. Jude is considered new money, and Layla had an esteemed family name. Thankfully, the pair had gotten along quite well with one another. Sadly, Layla would die when their daughter was young. Layla was never given the chance to see Laxus since his birth. The ride to Acalypha is a sombre one for Makarov. He is visiting for the first time since secretly attending Layla’s funeral. His carriage pulls up on the Heartfilia estate, and the butler guides him to Jude’s office. Jude knew that _Fairy Tail’s_ guild master will be visiting him. Layla had told Jude everything about her affair with Ivan, and the child she bore.

“Do I have to guess as to why you’re here?” Jude jokingly asks. He offers Makarov a drink, and the guild master declines for once.

“You don’t have to worry about Lucy. We guild members protect each other as family,” Makarov assures Jude.

“I don’t blame her for running away, I don’t blame her for never wanting to see me again,” Jude confesses to Makarov.

“If she’s anything like her mother, she’ll forgive you one day,” Makarov says to Jude. Makarov leaves the Heartfilia estate, thinking about Laxus and Lucy meeting each other for the first time.


	7. Forming a Team

Lucy slept beautifully that night, despite having thoughts about the prince and her father in the back of her mind. She doesn’t believe they would harm the guild and her new friends. But the sense of guilt will always be with her.

“You’re finally up!” Natsu shouts from the two-seater in the apartment. Lucy was aghast to see Natsu and Happy in her apartment.

“Natsu! Happy! How the hell did you get into my apartment!” Lucy shouts at them.

“We asked Dorothy to let us in,” Happy tells Lucy.

“Hurry up! We want to go out on a job.” Natsu excitedly says. Lucy gets up from her bed to look for clothes to wear after her shower.

“You don’t have to wait for me to go out on a job,” Lucy says while looking for clothes.

“But we want to go with you,” Natsu says to Lucy.

“We had so much fun working with you in Hargeon,” Happy says to Lucy. Their words gave Lucy a warm feeling, the kind of feeling she hasn’t felt since her mother was alive. Lucy didn’t take long to get ready, and the three of them head towards the guildhall for breakfast. At the guildhall, they find a table near the bar, and Natsu goes to request board. Lucy orders breakfast for the three of them and goes back to the table. Lisanna takes the order and proceeds to cook breakfast.

“Hello, Ms. Lucy!” Wendy excitedly greets the Celestial Mage with her white exceed, Carla.

“Hi, Carla,” Happy says with infatuation in his eyes. Lucy couldn’t help but think Happy’s crush is cute.

“Tomcat,” Carla greets Happy with a feminine monotone voice. Wendy sits beside Lucy.

“You’re in a good mood!” Lucy acknowledges Wendy’s cheerful attitude.

“I’m finally allowed to go on the higher paying missions,” Wendy happily says to Lucy.

“But nothing too dangerous,” Carla worryingly says to Wendy. The higher to pay, the more dangerous the mission. The minimum age requirement for those missions is fourteen years old. An idea comes to Lucy’s mind. She asks Wendy if she wanted to tag along with her and Natsu. Wendy enthusiastically agrees to the idea, and Lucy is about to look for Natsu when she hears an argument.

“I saw the mission first flame-brain!” Gray angrily shouts at Natsu.

“Tough shit icicle pop! I grabbed the flier first!” Natsu taunts Gray, and the two of them start fighting. During the commotion, Lisanna brings the breakfast to Natsu and Lucy’s table.

“Breakfast is ready!” Lisanna shouts out, and the fighting stops.

“Thank you, Lisanna,” Lucy thanks her, and Natsu rushes back to the table.

“No problem, it’s my job. Enjoy the meal,” Lisanna says before going back to the kitchen. Lucy has had breakfast in the royal palace, and Lisanna’s cooking surpasses the royal chiefs in her eyes.

“Our fight is not over!” Gray shouts out while Natsu is devouring his breakfast. Seeing the boys argue gave Lucy another idea.

“Natsu, why doesn’t Gray tag along with us?” Lucy suggests to Natsu. Making Natsu, Happy and Gray laugh hysterically.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea!” Erza says while looming over the boys. Natsu, Happy and Gray nod along to whatever Erza says.

“Can I come along as well?” Wendy asks.

“The more, the merrier,” Erza says. She grabs the flier and looks for Mirajane in Makarov’s office. Gray, Wendy and Carla leave to get their bags ready.

“But I wanted to go with just Happy and Lucy.” Natsu whines.

“There will be more missions in the future. Those can be just the three of us,” Lucy says to make Natsu feel better, and it works. Lucy goes back to her apartment to notify Dorothy she will be out of town and to get her bag ready. Natsu and Happy are waiting for Lucy outside her building. Lucy greets them, and they head towards the town gates. On their way to meet up with Erza, Gray, Wendy and Carla. Natsu, Happy and Lucy run into Freed Justice, Bickslow, Evergreen and Laxus.

“Yo! Laxus!” Natsu shouts to grab their attention. Laxus feels a migraine every time Natsu shouts. Natsu introduces Lucy to the group. Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen are all courteous towards the Celestial Mage. But Laxus is suspicious towards Lucy, coming off as cold and distant to her. Natsu, Happy and Lucy were in a hurry and said their goodbyes to the group.

“Laxus, is something the matter?” Freed asks when he notices Laxus’ behaviour towards Lucy.

“Go to the guild without me. I’m exhausted,” Laxus says to The Thunder Legion, and he heads towards his house alone. While walking alone, Laxus couldn’t help but sense something familiar about Lucy. It frustrated him that he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he felt that way. Lucy’s first mission had been a success, and she was excited. The team helped a village near Mt. Hakobe that was being terrorized by Vulcans. Natsu, Erza and Gray fought the Vulcans, while Lucy, Wendy and the exceeds helped the villagers. They didn’t get much of a cash reward because the village was severely damaged during the mission. But the group enjoyed working together and agreed to form a team before the train ride home. Lucy was walking home with Natsu and Happy.

“Are you okay?” Natsu asks Lucy when he notices her looking lost in her thoughts. Lucy is thinking about her interaction with Laxus from a few days ago.

“Are you mad about not getting much reward money?” Happy asks her.

“No, I’m not mad. I enjoy being around you guys,” Lucy says to them, making them smile.

“Next mission will be just the three of us,” Natsu boldly states to Lucy and Happy.

“Deal,” Lucy proudly states and the three of them enter Lucy’s apartment. Lurking in the shadows, one of Sailah’s minions hurries back to their mistress.

“Natsu!” Lucy shouts when he bursts into the hallway.

“Sorry, I thought I sensed something,” Natsu says before reentering the apartment.


	8. Inner Workings

Scattering around the city of Crocus at night, Sailah’s minions make their way to the royal palace. Sailah, the demoness, passively waits for them in the palace dungeons. The minions reach their mistress and notify her about the where about’s of Lucy Heartfilia. The minions also tell her about Natsu and the dark aura he emits.

“Did you finally get anything about the girl?” Jackel, another one of Mard Geer’s minions asks Sailah.

“Magnolia, she’s in Magnolia,” Sailah quietly responds to Jackel.

“Hurry up and tell Mard Geer already. I’m ready to cause havoc.” Jackel excitedly states. Sailah makes her way to Mard Geer’s chambers to tell him the news.

“Sailah, tell me everything you know.” Mard Geer asks of his underling. Sailah retells what her minions told her about Lucy and Natsu. The information about Natsu gains Mard Geer’s attention.

“I’m asking you to use your minions again to get more information on this pink-hair boy.” Mard Geers orders. Sailah bows her head and exits Mard Geer’s chambers. Overhearing this conversation from outside is Pantherlily, Gajeel’s exceed. Pantherlily would often spy on Mard Geer’s underlings at Gajeel’s request. Gajeel’s request became more frequent when he learnt that Mard Geer is looking for Lucy. The unspoken rule within the palace is that the underlings don’t interact with one another. Juvia did not follow this rule most of the time. She would spend some of her free time with Silver Fullbuster, a man who is forced to be one of Mard Geer’s underlinings. Silver would tell Juvia stories about his old life and his son, Gray Fullbuster. Silver would keep up to date with Gray’s adventures, despite never seeing him, thanks to Sailah’s minions. Juvia is enraptured by the stories about Gray Fullbuster and heroic deeds as a member of _Fairy Tail_.

“Your son sounds wonderful. Juvia would like to meet him one day.” Juvia says to Silver while enjoying tea together in the palace gardens.

“If you ever do meet him, don’t tell him about me.” Silver tells Juvia. The Water Mage notices Pantherlily hovering over them, and pardons herself for the evening. Promising Silver to meet up again tomorrow. Gajeel has been wandering around the palace, looking for Juvia. The two of them meet up in the royal library to discuss Mard Geer's search for Lucy and Natsu.

“I assume Mard Geer wants Lucy because of Prince Daniel,” Pantherlily says to Gajeel and Juvia.

“Jellal has mentioned a pink hair boy named Natsu. Juvia thinks it’s wonderful that Lucy made a human friend.” Juvia reminds herself and Gajeel when discussing Mard Geer. Jellal Fernandes serves as the royal envoy between the palace and the mage guilds across Fiore.

“What do you think we should do?” Gajeel asks Juvia. Both of them are confused about finding a solution to this dilemma. Secrets are valuable in the palace, and Gajeel and Juvia didn’t want to give up anything in their arsenal.

“The best Juvia can think of is to sit and wait for any future updates,” Juvia suggests to Gajeel. The Iron Dargon Slayer is frustrated with sitting around and doing nothing. But Juvia is right on this issue. Waiting is the best plan at the moment. Gajeel is heading to his room when he runs into Jellal preparing his bags in his quarters.

“Visiting a guild?” Gajeel asks Jellal.

“ _Fairy Tail,_ why do you ask?” Jellal asks Gajeel. An idea comes to Gajeel’s mind.

“While you are in town, can you check up on my friend Lucy?” Gajeel requests Jellal.

“Sure, no problem. Help me with my bags.” Jellal says to Gajeel. Gajeel carries Jellal’s bags to the carriage, and Jellal heads towards Magnolia.

**Author's Note:**

> I encourage people to give constructive feedback.


End file.
